# Joan Crawford filmography

The Joan Crawford filmography lists the film appearances of American actress Joan Crawford, who starred in numerous feature films throughout a lengthy career that spanned nearly five decades.
She made her film debut in Lady of the Night (1925), as a body double for film star Norma Shearer. She appeared in several other films, before she made her major breakthrough playing Lon Chaney's love interest in the 1927 horror film The Unknown. Her major success in Our Dancing Daughters (1928) made her a popular flapper of the late 1920s. Her first sound film, Untamed (1929), was a critical and box office success.
Crawford would become a highly popular actress throughout the 1930s, as a leading lady for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She starred in a series of "rags-to-riches" films that were extremely popular during the Depression-era, most especially with women. Her popularity rivaled fellow MGM actresses, including Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, and Jean Harlow. She appeared in eight movies with Clark Gable, including romantic drama Possessed (1931), musical film Dancing Lady (1933), romantic comedy Love on the Run (1936), and romantic drama Strange Cargo (1940), among others. In 1937, she was proclaimed the first "Queen of the Movies" by Life magazine, but her popularity soon waned. After her films The Bride Wore Red (1937) and Mannequin (1938) proved to be expensive failures, in May 1938, Crawford – along with Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Francis, and many others – was labeled "box office poison"; an actor whose "box office draw is nil".
Crawford managed to make a comeback in the comedy The Women (1939), opposite an all-star female-only cast. On July 1, 1943, Crawford was released from Louis B. Mayer, due to creative differences, and signed an exclusive contract with Warner Brothers, where she became a rival of Bette Davis. After a slow start with the studio, she received critical and commercial acclaim for her performance in the drama Mildred Pierce (1945). The film earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. From 1946 to 1952, Crawford appeared in a series of critical and box office successes, including the musical drama Humoresque (1946), film noirs Possessed (1947, for which she received a second Academy Award nomination) and Flamingo Road (1949), drama The Damned Don't Cry (1950), and romantic comedy Goodbye, My Fancy (1951), among others. She received a third – and final – Academy Award nomination for her performance in the thriller Sudden Fear (1952).
In 1953, Crawford starred in the musical Torch Song, her final film role for MGM. Her next film, Johnny Guitar (1954), although not originally a hit, has become considered a classic. During the latter half of the 1950s, Crawford starred in a series of B-movies, including romantic dramas Female on the Beach (1955) and Autumn Leaves (1956). In 1962, Crawford was teamed with Bette Davis, in a film adaptation of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). The thriller film was a box office hit, and briefly revived Crawford's career. Her final film performance was in the British science fiction film, Trog (1970).

## Filmography
### Feature films

Silent films :
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio |
| 1925 | Lady of the Night | Double for Norma Shearer | Monta Bell | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | Proud Flesh | Party Guest | King Vidor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | A Slave of Fashion$^‡$ | Mannequin | Hobart Henley | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | The Merry Widow | Ballroom Dancer | Erich von Stroheim | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | Pretty Ladies | Bobby, a Showgirl | Monta Bell | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | The Circle | Young Lady Catherine | Frank Borzage | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | The Midshipman | Extra | Christy Cabanne | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ | Chariot Race Spectator | Fred Niblo | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | Old Clothes | Mary Riley | Edward F. Cline | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | The Only Thing | Party Guest | Jack Conway | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | Sally, Irene and Mary | Irene | Edmund Goulding | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1926 | Tramp, Tramp, Tramp | Betty Burton | Harry Edwards | First National |
| 1926 | The Boob | Jane | William A. Wellman | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1926 | Paris | The Girl | Edmund Goulding | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1927 | Winners of the Wilderness | René Contrecoeur | W. S. Van Dyke | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1927 | The Taxi Dancer | Joslyn Poe | Harry F. Millarde | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1927 | The Understanding Heart | Monica Dale | Jack Conway | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1927 | The Unknown | Estrellita or Nanon | Tod Browning | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1927 | Twelve Miles Out | Jane | Jack Conway | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1927 | Spring Fever | Allie Monte | Edward Sedgwick | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1928 | West Point | Betty Channing | Edward Sedgwick | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1928 | The Law of the Range | Betty Dallas | William Nigh | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1928 | Rose-Marie$^‡$ | Rose-Marie | Lucien Hubbard | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1928 | Across to Singapore | Priscilla Crowninshield | William Nigh | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1928 | Four Walls$^‡$ | Frieda | William Nigh | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1928 | Our Dancing Daughters | Diana Medford | Harry Beaumont | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1928 | Dream of Love$^‡$ | Adrienne Lecouvreur | Fred Niblo | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1929 | The Duke Steps Out$^‡$ | Susie | James Cruze | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1929 | Our Modern Maidens | Billie Brown | Jack Conway | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
‡ denotes lost film
Sound films :
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio |
| 1929 | The Hollywood Revue of 1929 | Herself (performer) | Charles Reisner | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1929 | Untamed | Alice "Bingo" Dowling | Jack Conway | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1930 | Montana Moon | Joan "Montana" Prescott | Malcolm St. Clair | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1930 | Our Blushing Brides | Gerry Marsh | Harry Beaumont | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1930 | Paid | Mary Turner | Sam Wood | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1931 | Dance, Fools, Dance | Bonnie Jordan | Harry Beaumont | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1931 | Laughing Sinners | Ivy Stevens | Harry Beaumont | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1931 | This Modern Age | Val Winters | Nick Grinde | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1931 | Possessed | Marian Martin | Clarence Brown | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1932 | Grand Hotel | Flaemmchen | Edmund Goulding | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1932 | Letty Lynton | Letty Lynton | Clarence Brown | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1932 | Rain | Sadie Thompson | Lewis Milestone | United Artists |
| 1933 | Today We Live | Diana "Ann" Boyce-Smith | Howard Hawks | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1933 | Dancing Lady | Janie "Duchess" Barlow | Robert Z. Leonard | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1934 | Sadie McKee | Sadie McKee Brennan | Clarence Brown | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1934 | Chained | Diane "Dinah" Lovering | Clarence Brown | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1934 | Forsaking All Others | Mary Clay | W. S. Van Dyke | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1935 | No More Ladies | Marcia Townsend | Edward H. Griffith | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1935 | I Live My Life | Kay Bentley | W. S. Van Dyke | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1936 | The Gorgeous Hussy | Margaret "Peggy" O'Neal | Clarence Brown | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1936 | Love on the Run | Sally Parker | W. S. Van Dyke | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1937 | The Last of Mrs. Cheyney | Fay Cheyney | Richard Boleslawski | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1937 | The Bride Wore Red | Anni Pavlovitch | Dorothy Arzner | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1937 | Mannequin | Jessica Cassidy | Frank Borzage | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1938 | The Shining Hour | Olivia Riley | Frank Borzage | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1939 | The Ice Follies of 1939 | Mary McKay | Reinhold Schünzel | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1939 | The Women | Crystal Allen | George Cukor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1940 | Strange Cargo | Julie | Frank Borzage | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1940 | Susan and God | Susan Trexel | George Cukor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1941 | A Woman's Face | Anna Holm | George Cukor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1941 | When Ladies Meet | Mary Howard | Robert Z. Leonard | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1942 | They All Kissed the Bride | Margaret Drew | Alexander Hall | Columbia |
| 1942 | Reunion in France | Michele de la Becque | Jules Dassin | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1943 | Above Suspicion | Frances Myles | Richard Thorpe | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1944 | Hollywood Canteen | Herself (cameo role) | Delmer Daves | Warner Bros. |
| 1945 | Mildred Pierce | Mildred Pierce | Michael Curtiz | Warner Bros. |
| 1946 | Humoresque | Helen Wright | Jean Negulesco | Warner Bros. |
| 1947 | Possessed | Louise Howell | Curtis Bernhardt | Warner Bros. |
| 1947 | Daisy Kenyon | Daisy Kenyon | Otto Preminger | 20th Century Fox |
| 1949 | Flamingo Road | Lane Bellamy | Michael Curtiz | Warner Bros. |
| 1949 | It's a Great Feeling | Herself (cameo role) | David Butler | Warner Bros. |
| 1950 | The Damned Don't Cry | Ethel Whitehead | Vincent Sherman | Warner Bros. |
| 1950 | Harriet Craig | Harriet Craig | Vincent Sherman | Columbia |
| 1951 | Goodbye, My Fancy | Agatha Reed | Vincent Sherman | Warner Bros. |
| 1952 | This Woman Is Dangerous | Beth Austin | Felix E. Feist | Warner Bros. |
| 1952 | Sudden Fear | Myra Hudson | David Miller | RKO |
| 1953 | Torch Song | Jenny Stewart | Charles Walters | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1954 | Johnny Guitar | Vienna | Nicholas Ray | Republic |
| 1955 | Female on the Beach | Lynn Markham | Joseph Pevney | Universal |
| 1955 | Queen Bee | Eva Phillips | Ranald MacDougall | Columbia |
| 1956 | Autumn Leaves | Millicent "Milly" Wetherby | Robert Aldrich | Columbia |
| 1957 | The Story of Esther Costello | Margaret Landi | David Miller | Columbia |
| 1959 | The Best of Everything | Amanda Farrow | Jean Negulesco | 20th Century Fox |
| 1962 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Blanche Hudson | Robert Aldrich | Seven Arts |
| 1963 | The Caretakers | Lucretia Terry | Hall Bartlett | United Artists |
| 1964 | Strait-Jacket | Lucy Harbin | William Castle | Columbia |
| 1965 | I Saw What You Did | Amy Nelson | William Castle | Universal |
| 1967 | The Karate Killers | Amanda True | Barry Shear | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1967 | Berserk! | Monica Rivers | Jim O'Connolly | Columbia |
| 1970 | Trog | Dr. Brockton | Freddie Francis | Warner Bros. |

### Short subjects

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio |
| 1925 | MGM Studio Tour | Herself | – | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1925 | Miss MGM | Miss MGM | – | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1930 | Hollywood Snapshots #11 | Herself | Ralph Staub | Columbia |
| 1931 | The Slippery Pearls | Herself | William C. McGann | Paramount |
| 1932 | Screen Snapshots | Herself | Ralph Staub | Columbia |
| 1947 | The Jimmy Fund | Herself | – | Columbia |
| 1958 | Hollywood Mothers and Fathers | Herself | – | Columbia |
| 1972 | A Very Special Child | Narrator | – | American Cancer Society |

### Box Office Ranking

See also: Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll
* 1929 - 15th
* 1930 - 1st
* 1931 - 3rd
* 1932 - 3rd
* 1933 - 10th
* 1934 - 6th
* 1935 - 5th
* 1936 - 7th
* 1937 - 16th
* 1947 - 21st

## Archival footage

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio |
| 1964 | Four Days in November | Herself | Mel Stuart | United Artists |
| 1964 | MGM's Big Parade of Comedy | Herself | Robert Youngson | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1974 | That's Entertainment! | Janie Barlow (Dancing Lady) | Jack Haley, Jr. | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1984 | Terror in the Aisles | Blanche Hudson (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) | Andrew J. Kuehn | Universal |
| 1985 | That's Dancing! | Herself | Jack Haley, Jr. | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1994 | That's Entertainment! III | Jenny Stewart (Torch Song) | Bud Friedgen, Michael J. Sheridan | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |

## Uncompleted films

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Studio |
| 1929 | Tide of Empire | Josephita (replaced by Renée Adorée) | Allan Dwan | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1930 | Great Day | Susie Totheridge | Harry Beaumont | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1930 | The March of Time | Herself | Charles Reisner | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| 1964 | Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte | Miriam Deering (replaced by Olivia de Havilland due to illness) | Robert Aldrich | 20th Century Fox |

## Television

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Episodes and notes |
| 1953 | The Revlon Mirror Theater | Margaret Hughes | Rod Amateau | "Because I Love Him" |
| 1954 | General Electric Theater | Mary Andrews | Rod Amateau | "The Road to Edinburgh" |
| 1958 | General Electric Theater | Ruth Marshall | Herschel Daugherty | "Strange Witness" |
| 1959 | The Joan Crawford Show | Susan Conrad | Dick Powell | "Woman on the Run" (pilot) |
| 1959 | General Electric Theater | Ann Howard | Herschel Daugherty | "And One Was Loyal" |
| 1959 | Zane Grey Theatre | Stella Faring | Don Medford | "Rebel Range" |
| 1961 | Zane Grey Theatre | Sarah and Melanie Hobbes | Lewis Allen | "One Must Die" |
| 1961 | The DuPont Show of the Week | Hostess | James Elson | "The Ziegfeld Touch" |
| 1963 | Route 66 | Morgan Matheson Harper | Philip Leacock | "Same Picture, Different Frame" |
| 1964 | Della | Della Chappell | Robert Gist | TV movie |
| 1967 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Amanda True | Barry Shear | "The Five Daughters Affair: Part 1" |
| 1967 | Easter Island | Narrator (voice) | José Gómez-Sicre | TV documentary |
| 1968 | The Lucy Show | Herself (guest star) | Jack Donohue | "Lucy and the Lost Star" |
| 1968 | The Secret Storm | Joan Borman Kane #2 | Gloria Monty | Daytime serial (5 episodes) |
| 1969 | Garbo | Hostess / Narrator | Fred Burnley | TV documentary |
| 1969 | Night Gallery | Claudia Menlo | Steven Spielberg | TV movie (segment: "Eyes") |
| 1970 | The Virginian | Stephanie White | Robert Gist | "Nightmare" |
| 1970 | The Tim Conway Show | Herself (cameo) | Alan Rafkin | "To Cuba with Love" |
| 1970 | The Tim Conway Comedy Hour | Herself (guest star) | Bill Hobin | "Episode #1.3" |
| 1972 | The Sixth Sense | Joan Fairchild | John Newland | "Dear Joan: We're Going to Scare You to Death" |
| 1973 | Journey to the Unknown | Herself (hostess) | Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Don Chaffey | TV movie |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Title / Honor | Result |
| 1945 | National Board of Review Awards | Best Actress | Mildred Pierce | Won |
| 1946 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Mildred Pierce | Won |
| 1946 | New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Mildred Pierce | Nominated |
| 1948 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Possessed | Nominated |
| 1953 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Sudden Fear | Nominated |
| 1953 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Drama | Sudden Fear | Nominated |
| 1953 | Laurel Awards | Best Dramatic Performance, Female | Sudden Fear | Won |
| 1954 | Laurel Awards | Top Female Musical Performance | Torch Song | Won |
| 1960 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star of Motion Picture | Star at 1752 Vine Street | Honored |
| 1963 | BAFTA Film Awards | Best Foreign Actress | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Nominated |
| 1970 | Golden Globe Awards | Cecil B. DeMille Award | Outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment | Honored |

### Philanthropic Awards

| Year | Award | Reason/Recognition |
| 1952 | Shoe and Leg Brace | Continued support the Texas Theatres Crippled Children's Fund |
| 1959 | Hebrew-English Bible | Humanitarian efforts involving the Jewish people |
| 1963 | City of Hope Award | Donation of time and funds to the City of Hope Hospital |
| 1964 | Honorary Hoosier Award | Devotion to humanitarian, arts, and business causes |
| 1965 | USO Award of the Year | Accomplishments as an actress, executive, and humanitarian First female USO Award of The Year winner |
| 1965 | Heart of the World Award | Continued support of the City of Hope Hospital |